What Happened To Our Public Schools?

In the United States today, we face a serious problem with public education. Many of our public schools are unsafe and ineffective. In fact, I believe many of our kids are better off not attending schools at all if their only option is a modern public school since, in my opinion, many schools delay maturity and “shelter” our kids from real life. Some schools are downright terrible, and most are less than adequate in instilling responsibility, diligence, civic duty, and respect. Many kids have gone to school only to find that schools are recruiting centers for gangs and many other forms of public disarray. Of course, there are a few excellent public schools, but they are the minority, and they’re usually found in affluent or rural areas where the public values education.

Our society has eroded where many parents are now more like friends than parents. They’re afraid of making their children angry, and they’re overprotective to the point where they deny the fact that their kids can make mistakes. Then there’s the more disturbing side of the equation. We have many parents that neglect(Yes, neglect!) their kids by giving them absolutely everything they want. Regardless of their income, they shower their kids with materialistic possessions and compliments that make their kids believe they are invincible. They tend to underestimate the importance of criticism and discipline. They protect them from anyone who tries to tell them they are misbehaving or being inconsiderate. And their kids tend to have respect for no one, including themselves. In reality, these parents are afraid to parent. How wrong it is!

This is no longer a minor problem. There are simply too many parents in this category.

Year after year, these types of parents have barged into public education threatening educators with lawsuits and reprimands. Because of this, our pubic education system has changed quite dramatically for the worse.

Teachers are no longer able to teach or discipline. Principals have become nothing more than political appeasers for parents who use teachers as scapegoats, and, of course, the number of disruptive kids is skyrocketing in classrooms all over the United States. Mutual respect between parents and teachers is all but gone. Teachers with high behavioral and academic expectations are either burnt out with frustration, end up quitting or retiring, or getting fired because they stand up to the loud and disruptive parents. Well, they should do just that, but that creates too much discomfort with administrators and school board members. Because of this, our schools are filled with fledgling, unqualified teachers nationwide, and the turnover rate is only increasing and making things worse. The teachers that stay dare not to hold high expectations because it takes so much to stand up to their superiors and parents when kids start to fail. Students are able to blame everyone but themselves for failure or bad behavior, and the sad part is that they honestly believe they are not responsible for themselves.

Many also think schools are failing because of the poor urban kids. It doesn’t matter how much a family makes, their children still have the ability to learn from mistakes and get out of the pattern and gain self-confidence as long as the institution promotes such change. However, with the lack of expectations in our schools these kids have no impetus to change.

Who’s losing because of all this? The students! In many places schools are instilling into children that they can do anything they want and get away with it. And they are also instilling into children that very little work results in high grades or endless compliments. Let me assure you, criticism and true accomplishment is what makes kids successful in life, not excess praise and easy grades.

So, in breaking it down, what is the true problem with our public schools? It all leads to the fact that disruptive kids and parents are the ones that ruin it for everyone else. For many reasons, our system cannot afford to allow these disruptive kids and parents to bog down the education of those that want to learn. The most effective means by which to improve the situation is to take these kids out of the mainstream schools. Discipline needs to be reinstalled into schools. Until then, nothing else can improve. And after this happens, then and only then dramatic improvement will be possible.

Here’s how we can do it:

1. Remove disruptive students from schools! Give their parents the choice to sign off on letting them go to a publicly-funded, no-nonsense boarding school where they will learn cooperation, discipline, civic duty, and respect. Or tell the parents who refuse that their kid is no longer welcome to attend the mainstream public school and must seek a GED on their own time. Of course, many “coddling laws” must be changed in order for this to be legal. Keep in mind that allowing these kids to remain in mainstream schools is sending the wrong message to everyone. They keep acting out with no consequences, and before you know it, they’re illiterate graduates who end up going to prison or dealing drugs on the streets. Whereas, the boarding school will teach them to respect themselves and that they can improve their situation.

2. For high school, have parents educated on how the students are solely responsible for themselves mandated documents the parents must sign. Then have them sign that students have a certain number of detention hours before they have to attend a hearing determining whether or not they need to be sent to a public boarding school or be sent home. Notice, mainstream high schools will be reserved for students who meet tough academic and behavioral expectations.

3. For students that fail courses or grades, they have 6 weeks(or equivalent) to improve grades or force being sent to a lower level class. The responsibility for improvement lies on the student and the parents, not the school. Many kids fail simply due to lack of motivation and work ethic, not because of lack of ability. For those with proper motivation and work ethic that still have failing grades, remediation is needed.

4. Bring back tracking, and allow kids with similar abilities to be in similar classes. Also, not all kids are going to college, so bring back vocational schools for those that have definite interests.

This system is much like real life. You get out of it what you put into it. Teachers will be much more passionate and much more effective. Students will learn discipline, confidence, work ethic, civility, and respect. Disruptive, immature students will be separated from more mature students, and their needs will be met by going to boarding schools that promote self-accountability over academics. Principals will once again be able to support their teachers and have options in making real progress toward parents. Disruptive parents will be in the minority, and the overwhelming numbers of supporting parents will lead to the fact that principals will be able to tell loudmouth parents to take a hike. In other words, I think my tax money is being wasted when disruptive kids are allowed into a classroom with kids trying to learn, and I would whole-heartedly support teachers and principals that try to remove these kids from the classrooms. After a few years, it will be evident to kids and parents that teachers and principals have authority, and schools will be much more conducive to learning.

People at this point are too complacent and really don't know what's going on in public schools.

Those that take the option of quitting school will still be able to get a GED just like everyone else can now. (I know a person who quit school in 8th grade and got a GED only to make over 100K per year as a banker, so don't tell me getting kicked out of school is always a bad thing. For many people, real life can teach people better than schools.)

I am up for suggestions, so please comment. Obviously, I left great detail out of this.

Our society needs this change, or at least something as effective.

Once again, our society will value education and our society will improve as a result.